Christmas Before Pics

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is doing the final touches while the kids are all anxiously waiting. Making sure Santa came, the presents are perfectly set in their places, getting the music playing, the casserole in the oven, and anxiously anticipate the kids' arrival. 

 

Christmas Eve Prep

After we got home from the Ericson's we got busy getting ready for Santa to come. The girls wrote notes and set out cookies for Santa. Brayden was in charge of making our Christmas blueberry French toast casserole so he and Fernando got to work getting it all prepped. (Btw aren't their Christmas pj's the cutest???). By the end of the night when everyone was in bed, all the lights except the Christmas tree were off, and all was quiet I found myself having one of those moments of reflection. I got to sit in the silence thinking about my Savior and all He has done for me. My heart is full of love for Josh and our kids and I'm so grateful for the love we all have for each other. It's a pretty good crew to spend eternity with. 

 

Christmas Eve with the Ericsons

We love getting together with Josh's family on Christmas Eve. We always have a nice dinner, visit for a little bit, open pj's, then head home to get ready for Christmas. 

 

All Tuckered Out

This little one is a trooper! She is still only 6 but tags along to all the big kid things we do. We didn't get home from the Desert Star Theater til about 11 and she almost fell asleep waiting for us to pray. 

 

Desert Star Playhouse

This is another thing I hope becomes an annual Christmas tradition. When I heard that the Desert Star Playhouse was doing "The Greatest Snowman" (A spoof on the Greatest Showman) I knew I had to buy tickets to take the family. That is one of our favorite movies and we all have the music ingrained into our bones. We invited the Brauns along bc they had never been to the Desert Star Playhouse before. We went to JCW's for dinner then headed there. We all LOVED it! They do such a good job and it was the perfect show to watch during this week of Christmas. We all got ice cream while we watched and couldn't have had a better night! 

Livingston Christmas Party

Josh's extended family on his mom's side asked if they could host their Christmas party at our house. Of all 4 extended families we do the most with this one so we know them pretty well. It was fun after 2 yrs of cancelling parties bc of Covid to be able to get together and see everyone! I was thrilled to find a way to fit one more round table by moving the couch over 4 feet. With that extra table we were able to have seats set up for 48 people! It was the perfect amount to fit everyone.

 

Breakfast with Friends

One of the ladies in my old ward sent out a mass text inviting anyone that was available to join her at breakfast with the intent of leaving a giant tip for the waitress. I loved the idea and was grateful I was able to join them! I think we ended up leaving almost $400 for the waitress and although we didn't get to see her reaction we imagine it made her day!